The grove pulsed with the afterglow of victory. Moonlight silvered the new oaks Alex had coaxed skyward, their leaves whispering secrets to the night wind. The legion sprawled in loose formation, Fang's pack gnawing marrow-rich bones, Claw's scouts preening storm-ruffled feathers atop branches, Surge coiled in the deepened stream with only its eyes and dorsal fin breaking the surface, and Shadow melting in and out of moonlight as if resting the border between real and not.
Liora knelt before Alex's trunk, the scroll case open between her palms. Ink-based runes crawled across the parchment like living ants, but the elves' counter-wards held them still. Elandor, bound in living vines, sat nearby under Thorn's unblinking stare. The bear's breath steamed in the cool air; every exhale carried the scent of crushed pine needles.
System : World Tree Ascension Path
Name : Alex (Treant form)
Stage : Seedling Treant (level 4)
EXP : 6.3/600
Mana : 210/250
Sap of Life : 20/20
Skills : Basic Nurture, Verdant Pulse, Life Weaver, Root Network Expansion (Passive), Grove Link
Legion Average Level : 3.2
Alex's new Grove Link thrummed with five distinct heartbeats- wolf, hawk, bear, eel, panther - each a steady drum in his awareness. He could taste the iron on Fang's tongue, feel the wind under Claw's primaries, sense the electric tingle in Surge's lateral lines. The sensation was intimate, almost overwhelming, but it sharpened his focus.
"Read it aloud," he told Liora. His voice no longer needed the wind to carry ; it rustled from every leaf in the grove at once. Liora's finger traced the runes. "A supply ledger, yes- but also order. 'Consolidate the wester gate. The High ones march in seven moons. Bring the Treant's heartwood intact; the Masters hunger.'" She looked up, green eyes luminous. "They mean you, Grove Father. And the gate.... it's beneath the Crimson Falls, two days north."
Fang growled, hackles rising. "Let them come. My pack will tear out their throats before they reach the water." Claw clicked at his beak. "Seven moons is time to scout, time to strike first." Surge's hiss bubbled through the stream. "The Falls feed my river. I will drown their gates in lightning." Shadow's tail flicked. "Or I will slip through it tonight and cut the throats of whoever holds the key." Thorn rumble , a sound like boulders grinding. "No. We end this together. The Grove Father decrees unity."
Alex felt the weight of their voices- each cadence unique, each loyalty absolute. The Sap of Life in his core burned warm, eager to spend. He turned his attention to the wolf pack lounging beyond Fang. Six wolves, gray and black and russet, had followed the dire wolf since the spire's fall. They were strong, fast, and -- crucially--- untainted. He extended Life Weaver toward them threading golden Sap through their fur and sinew.
Life Weaver : Sentience granted - Wolf Pack (6)
Sap of Life : -6 (14/20)
Proxy EXP : Small Animals awakened - + 30 EXP
EXP : 36.3/600
The wolves froze. Eyes widened, pupils dilating as awareness flooded in. The largest- a slate gray female with a scar across her muzzle sat back on her haunches and spoke, voice rough but clear. "Grove Father... I am Asha. We hunt for you now, not just with Fang, but as Fang's kin." Fang's ears pricked in surprise, then pride. He nosed Asha's shoulder. "Welcome to the pack, sister. The Hunting Division grows strongerr."
One by one, the other tested their new voices, gruff barks shaping into words, yips into laughter. The grove filled with the strange music of wolves speaking into strategy; flanking patterns, scent trails, ambush points. Alex's man tickled upward as the Root Network drank sunlight.
Passive : Root Network Expansion - + 5 Mana
Mana : 215/250
Liora rose, brushing moss from her knees. "The Enclave has debates long enough. Elandor's betrayal opened old wounds, but your victory closed them." She drew her a slender crystal dagger - ceremonial, but not lethal and sliced her palm. The elves behind followed suit. Scarlet drops pattered into the soil, where Alex's roots drank the greedily. "We swear it," Liora said, pressing her bleeding hand to his bark. "By leaf and root, by moon and sun, the Verdant Enclave binds itself to the World Tree. Your enemies are ours. Your legion, our shield." Warmth flared where her blood had met wood. The system chimed, solemn.
Alliance Formalized : Verdant Enclave Benefits :
- Shared Wards (Taint resistance +20%)
-Elven archer (10) added under Defense Division under Thorn
-Knowledge Exchange: High Ones Runes decoded weekly
Sap of Life : +3 (17/20) - Oath bound
EXP : +50 (Alliance Milestone)
EXP : 86.3/600
The elves cheered, a low melodic swell. Fang's pack howled in harmony. Surge sent a fountain of water skyward, crackling with miniature lightning. Claw spiraled upward, scattering sparks of storm light. Alex let the celebration wash over him, then spoke. "We have seven moons. Use them."
He turned to the open ground beyond the stream, until now a simple meadow. With Life Weaver, he coaxed the soil. Seeds long dormant cracked open; saplings shot upward, trunks thickening into mature ironwoods within minutes. Grass thickened into a living carpet. In the center, he grew a single colossal oak, its hollow heart large enough to house the council, it branches a perch for Claw's scouts.
Life Weaver : Grove Expansion - Ironwood Circle (12 Large trees) + 24 EXP
Mana : 165/250
EXP : 110.3/600
The new circle formed a natural amphitheater. Elves dragged the scroll case to its root table; Shadow unrolled fresh maps inked with outpost intel. Fang paced, dictating patrol rotations. Surge carved a moat around the circle, its current swift and deadly. Thorn planted himself at the northern arc, already weaving thorn walls higher.
Elandor watched it all, vine bound and silent. At a gesture from Alex, Thorn loosened the bounds just enough for the traitor to speak. "Mercy is weakness," Elandor spat. "The High Ones will--" Shadow's paw clamped over his mouth, claws pricking. "Silence. Your words are done." Alex ignore him. Through Grove Link, he reached Surge. Scout the Crimson Falls tomorrow. Take tow of Claw's swiftest. I want eyes on that gate.
Surge's reply hissed across the link, eager. It will be done , grove father. Their gate will become their grave. Midnight deepened. The grove quieted into watchful rest, wolves curled nose-to-tail, elves singing soft ward-songs, Surge's electric pulse a steady heartbeat in the water. Alex's mana crept upward again.
Passive Regeneration : +10 Mana
Mana : 175/250
Before dawn, he spent the last of his Sap on elven archers Liora had gifted to Thorn. Ten elves stepped forward; golden light sank into their skin, sharpening eyesight, steadying hands.
Sap of Life : -10 (7/20)
Elven Archers Awakened - Precision +30 %, Taint Resistance +50%
EXP : +25
EXP : 135.3/600
The system offered a final notification as the first bird called sunrise.
Quest Updated : Sever the High Ones' Reach
Objective : Destroy the Under realm Gate beneath Crimson Falls Time Limit : 7 Moons Reward : ????
Alex's leaves rustled in what might have been a smile. Seven moons. He would be ready.
To be continued